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W.H. comes to Hagel defense

Hagel says U.S., not Israeli Senator

The left: Barney Frank, coming to bat for a man he hopes will take over the Pentagon and then cut its budget. The right: Bill Kristol, who condemned Hagel as “anti-Israel” and, along with other critics, proffering the name of someone else — former Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Michèle Flournoy — to take over the Defense Department from Leon Panetta.

In the center of the ring stands Hagel himself, the former Republican senator from Nebraska whom the White House has leaked as its top choice for Defense secretary, but has not actually been nominated.

With an announcement still pending, Hagel can’t speak out on his own behalf. His friend, President Barack Obama, can’t go to bat for him in public the way he did for his other ally, United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice, when she came under fire as a possible nominee for secretary of State. And with three other major narratives soaking up Washington’s precious but limited bandwidth — the ongoing fiscal cliff saga, a renewed focus on gun violence following Friday’s mass shooting in Connecticut and the death of Sen. Daniel Inouye, the long-serving senator from Hawaii — there was no sign Thursday the Hagel sideshow would conclude any time soon.

So inside the national security establishment, the blows and counter-blows over Hagel rage on. After several days of attacks from Jewish groups and Israel advocates that Hagel’s record showed he would not be a big enough defender as Defense secretary, Hagel’s allies’ first task was to try to change that narrative.

They turned to Twitter, starting an account called “@SupportHagel” and with a convenient hashtag, #chuckhagelfacts. They created a Facebook page, “Chuck Hagel Supporters,” which had a photo but no words as of POLITICO’s check this afternoon. And they reached out through traditional conduits to the press, including with a fact sheet about Hagel and a letter, obtained by POLITICO, signed by nine former ambassadors lending him their support.

Part of the challenge for the White House is trying to walk a tightrope between what it’s willing to leak to reporters — Hagel’s our guy — and what it’s willing to say publicly. Its top spokesman, Jay Carney, illustrated that dichotomy Thursday afternoon when a reporter asked him about a comment that has become a lightning rod for Hagel opponents: His 2006 allusion in an interview to the influence of “the Jewish lobby.”

“You ought to address that question to Senator Hagel,” Carney said. “We’ve been through this before, with Ambassador [Susan] Rice. This is an effort to go after somebody — we haven’t nominated anyone. We’ve made no personnel announcement, and I’m not going to engage in that.”

Hagel has declined to comment, including to POLITICO, on all the reports about him since the initial White House leaks earlier this month. But for a private citizen who has not been asked to join the president’s administration, Hagel has Carney, a former journalist, eager to step up on his behalf.

“What I can say is Senator Hagel fought and bled in his country, served his country well,” Carney said. “He was an excellent senator. I can say that as much as someone who covered him as much as someone speaking for the White House, but I’m not going to take part in this process.”

Why should AIPAC dictate our nation's policy and handpick our leaders? Romney ran on a platform of no daylight between our policy and that of Israel. He lost. American wants to be led by statesmen who put America's interests and values first.

Israel Lobby neocons used 9/11 as an excuse to push us into war with Iraq to benefit Israel, something they had long advocated. They are afraid that Senator Hagel might not be so easily pushed into war with Iran. Israel could make peace with the Arab/Muslim world, including Iran, by returning the stolen land, but Israel prefers sacrificing American blood and treasure in these unnecessary wars.

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After 35+ years I am no longer a Republican but an Independent. Hagel would be a fine Defense Secretary but the GOP failed to dump the TEA in 2010 and has ruined the party. GOP should not only grow a pair but gave them up for radical nut cases in the TEA. The party is no more.

Apparently, the press' appetite for GOP ridiculousness is endless; but we, the people are sick and tired of it.

Former Senator Chuck Hagel is a war veteran. He served as a republican in the U.S. Senate with distinction and honor.

The GOP's problem with him is he did not tow the line on the incompetently run occupation of Iraq. Somehow, our fourth estate has forgotten that we, the American People, agreed with Senator Hagel on this one by overwhelming majorities.

Cut it out already. Chuck Hagel is qualified on paper to be our next Secretary of Defense. He has repeatedly demonstrated the necessary courage to fill that job. This is what matters. Everything else is just more GOP obstruction for the sake of obstruction.

Israel Lobby neocons have an insatiable appetite for American blood. Because of Israel's illegal brutal occupations and persecutions, Israel is hated throughout the world and especially the Muslim world of 1.7 billion people. Rather than make peace by ending the occupations, the neocons want us to go to war after war against enemies of Israel. Israel Lobby neocon William Kristol and fellow warmongers sent President Clinton a letter on 1/26/98 urging military action against Saddam Hussein. Then, as reported in the Wall Street Journal 9/16/09, Kristol and the neocons sent President Obama a letter urging a bigger military footprint in Afghanistan. On 3/15/11, Kristol and his pals then sent another letter to Obama urging military action against Gadhafi in Libya. Now they are afraid Hagel might oppose our going to war in Syria and Iran. Israel could make peace with the Arab/Muslim world including Iran by returning the stolen land but Israel prefers settlement expansion.